Home is where the heart is (so why can't I stay?)

That's what they always say, right?  That home is where the heart is.  I think that's my big problem right now (and if that's my biggest problem, then life is good, I know that).  I live in Montreal.  Right now, though, I'm on a three-week vacation in Halifax.  Granted I work as a freelance writer so I'm not truly on vacation because I have to keep working anyway but it's been working out well by getting some done first thing in the morning and finishing up the rest before supper if I don't finish it all.

And here's the truth - while my literal, physical home is back in Montreal - an apartment full of furniture, toys, clothes, everything - my heart is here.  So where is my home really?

Well over a decade ago I thought that I would really like to live in Halifax.  I blame it on the movie Message In A Bottle.  I took one look at that coast and thought, "yes.  I need the ocean."  Of course the movie took place in Maine, but that would be more complicated, so I just shifted the co-ordinates north a bit and figured that Halifax would be ideal.

Fast forward a couple of years and I meet my husband - who has some family out here and grew up spending most of his summers here.  Our first vacation ten years ago was to Halifax and that sort of sealed the deal for me.  Seeing firsthand how friendly the Maritmes are made me want to be here more than ever.

Seven years ago we returned for a wedding.  The morning after our arrival, he asked me if I would ever consider moving to Halifax.  I didn't even need half a second to think about it.  I answered yes immediately.

Here we are now.  It's our first time back since that trip seven years ago.  Three weeks means a nice mix of doing fun things and just taking it easy.  Staying with relatives makes it a laid-back vacation and the more days that go by the more I want to stay.

My husband is now at a point where he wants to be here too but there are loose ends to deal with.  When my sister moved out here, almost on a whim, she was fortunate in that she still lived at home so she had fewer expenses and was able to follow her heart.  For us it's certainly not impossible but there are obstacles that must be cleared first.  While my work, being online, can follow me to Halifax, my husband needs to secure a job.  Meanwhile, our apartment back in Montreal is leased until June 30, 2010 so we either need to talk the landlord into releasing us from it or find a subletter.  There are projects my husband has to wrap up back there.

It just feels like so long to wait.  I know I need to be patient but it feels like I've already been waiting forever.

It's not that I have anything against Montreal.  It's a geat city, it's very multicultural, and it's a wonderful place to make sure your kids grow up fully billingual.  Still, I'm just not happy living there anymore.  I need the ocean, I need the Maritime air, I miss my sister, and I want to live in a place that already feels like home base to me.

Home is indeed where the heart is.  So I'll leave it here when I go back to Montreal.  That way I'll be able  to follow it back home when it's finally time to move.

This is an original post for Canada Moms Blog. Sherry blogs also blogs at Chaos Theory but you might want to expect to see an awful lot of photos of Halifax for awhile, even if she unfortunately still lives in Montreal.